Making it out of the garage and on to stage, let alone sticking around long enough to make a name for yourself is beyond 99 per cent of bands. For the one per cent that do stick around long enough to be a going concern, it’s a struggle most of the way. Therefore, for a band to make it to 16 years, particularly with the same line up and without killing themselves is nothing short of a miracle. Rather than gasping for breath having made it to the finish line, Ash Naylor gives Jim Murray the impression that the band are still having a lot of fun.
On the eve of the band’s 16th birthday extravaganza at the Hi-Fi this Friday night, Naylor isn’t worried about any awkward birthday speeches, because ‘the thing is, in a band you tend to do all the embarrassing stuff in public so I guess no cringey speeches will be necessary’.
Even are such a fixture on the gigging circuit it’s hard to imagine a time without them, but the relationships in the band go back a long way, indeed to a time when Wally Kempton wasn’t even old enough to be at every gig in Melbourne. Naylor met Matt Cotter (drums) as a teenager in high school, remembering: ‘it was a Christian Brothers college in West Essendon. Old school brothers, who used to hit you with a one-metre ruler if you didn’t glue your homework assignment into your exercise book. No wonder I turned to music. Matt was one of the hip HSC students when I was in Year Ten. Wally booked a show at Warrnambool Uni in 1986 for a band Matt and I were in called The Swarm. Link Meanie was in the other band named The Brain Donors. We’ve all been kicking around since then.’
Even burst into the public consciousness in 1994, when hair was long, jeans were ripped and Marshall stacks and overdrive pedals were the order of the day for bands, as record companies threw money at acts trying to find the next Pearl Jam or Nirvana. (Ahem, Mantissa anyone?) Hence, Even might have appeared to be from another place and time … well, the late 60s were possibly the closest reference point. Fusing classic song writing and warm, jangly tones, Even only had to get up and keep playing before they found an appreciative audience. Reflecting on the band’s nascent steps, Naylor observes; ‘I suppose we were part of a community of bands who didn’t buckle under the weight of grunge. It was hard to avoid back then and i’m glad we stuck to our guns. My ears gravitate to older sounds because they are so much better in my skewed opinion.’
If not the elder statesmen of the Australian music scene now, they’ve certainly been bestowed the mantle of cooler older brother, with plenty of tips for younger bands – particularly on the question of how you manage to keep going so long. Naylor is clear about this. ‘I think we’ve been fortunate to have some great times as a band and our friendships are growing. As the band becomes less intensely active I think we’ve matured as humans and have more fun doing it now.’
Joining them for their birthday bash this Friday are a band billed as The Stevens on the line-up, but who actually feature key members of Even and The Stems, another band with a keen appreciation of a classic pop hook. They’ll be playing a set of Stems songs, but Naylor confirms that it’s not quite a case of strangers getting together to learn a set of songs. ‘Wally and Julian Matthews were neighbours in Richmond for quite a few years. We are all Stems fans from the 80s. We have done some rehearsals this week but we know and love the songs so it isn’t hard yakka. I first met Dom through his brother Laurie in 1996 at the Newport Hotel in Fremantle. He knew we dug his work after I mentioned The Stems on Recovery back in the day.’
There won’t be much time drinking goon in the park for this bunch of sixteen year olds, however, as Naylor already has plans for the rest of the year, including a new album. When asked if there will be a return of Melbourne’s rock n’ roll Christmas tradition, the band’s Xmas Even shows, he says ‘I imagine so. Hopefully our new album will be bulging out of Santa’s sack.’
Even’s sweet 16th birthday extravaganza is at The Hi-Fi in Melbourne this Friday 21st May. Joining them on the night will be The Stevens (featuring key members of The Stems and Even playing an all Stems set), The Dacios and Money For Rope. There are less than 100 tickets left – get in quick and get them here
